- Displaying Information in the Project Window
- Finding Items in a Project
- Sorting Footage in the Project Window
- Using Labels
- Organizing Footage in Folders
- Renaming and Removing Items
- Proxies and Placeholders
- Proxies in the Project Window
- Viewing Footage
- Opening Footage in the Original Application
- The Footage Window
- Cueing Motion Footage
- Magnification and Safe Zones
- Video-Safe Zones and Grids
- Rulers and Guides
- Snapshots
- Channels
- Viewing Transparency
- Correcting for Pixel Aspect Ratios
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Video-Safe Zones and Grids
You can superimpose a grid or video-safe zones over an image to better judge its placement. Obviously, these simple visual guides aren't included in the final output. In addition, because video-safe zones indicate the viewable area of standard video monitors, you should display safe zones for images that match television's 4:3 aspect ratio. For more about the safe zones, see the sidebar "Better Safe Than Sorry: Video Title- and Action-Safe Zones."
To show video-safe zones and grids
In the Footage window, do any of the following:
- To view title- and action-safe zones, click the Title-Action Safe button (
Figures 3.70
and
3.71
).
Figure 3.70 Use the Title-Action Safe button to see video-safe zones or grids.
Figure 3.71 Click the Title-Action Safe button to view video-safe zones.
- To view a proportional grid, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Title-Action Safe button (
Figure 3.72
).
Figure 3.72 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Title-Action Safe button to view a proportional grid…
-
To view a standard grid, Command-click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows) the Title-Action Safe button (
Figure 3.73
).
Figure 3.73 …or Command-click (Mac) or Ctrl-click (Windows) the Title-Action Safe button to view a standard grid.
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You can display any combination of zones and guides at the same time.
To set the default safe-zone areas
- Choose After Effects > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Mac) or Edit > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Windows) (
Figure 3.74
).
Figure 3.74 Choose After Effects > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Mac) or Edit > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Windows).
The Grids & Guides panel of the Prefer ences dialog box appears ( Figure 3.75 ).
Figure 3.75 The Grids & Guides panel of the Preferences dialog box appears.
- In the Safe Margins area of the Prefer ences dialog box, enter a percentage value for Action-Safe Margin (10 percent is standard for video).
- In the Safe Margins area of the Prefer ences dialog box, enter a percentage value for the Title-Safe Margin (20 percent is standard for video) (
Figure 3.76
).
Figure 3.76 In the Safe Margins area of the Preferences dialog box, enter the default safe margins.
- Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
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Better Safe than Sorry: Video Title- and Action-Safe Zones
Computer monitors display images from edge to edge. Television monitors, on the other hand, overscan images, or crop the outer edges. What's more, the amount of overscan differs from one television monitor to another.
Because of overscan, only the inner 90 percent of the full screen is considered action safe. That is, you should restrict any important onscreen actions to this area. The inner 80 percent of the image is known as title safe. Because you usually can't afford to lose any part of a title, you need a greater margin of error. If you're going to output your project as full-screen video, you'll need to respect the title-safe zone or suffer the consequences ( Figures 3.77 and 3.78 ). Even if you only plan to show your final movie on a computer screen, consider using the title-safe zones anyway. If you, your client, or your boss later decide to repurpose your creation for display on full-screen video, you'll be safe.
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Figure 3.77 Ignoring title safe has little consequence for images displayed less than full screen or on computer monitors.
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Figure 3.78 However, the same image presented as full-screen video may result in unwanted editing. In this case, the President gets a demotion to a mere "resident," without a proper election.
Of course, full-screen video also has a 4:3 aspect ratio (typically). In After Effects, safe-zone guides will mark the inner 80 and 90 percent of any window, even if the image doesn't match television's 4:3 aspect ratio. Because their only purpose is to indicate the overscanned areas of a standard video monitor, the safe-zone guides are relevant only in windows that correspond with television's 4:3 aspect ratio.
To customize the standard grid display
- Choose After Effects > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Mac) or Edit > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Windows) (
Figure 3.79
).
Figure 3.79 Choose After Effects > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Mac) or Edit > Preferences > Grids & Guides (Windows).
The Grids & Guides panel of the Prefer ences dialog box appears ( Figure 3.80 ).
Figure 3.80 In the Grids & Guides panel of the Preferences dialog box, choose default settings.
- In the Grid section of the Preferences dialog box, do any of the following:
Color— Use the color picker or eyedropper to choose a color for gridlines.
Style— Choose whether you want the grid to appear as lines, dashed lines, or dotted lines.
Gridline Every— Choose the spacing for the grid, in pixels.
Subdivisions— Choose how many times to subdivide each cell of the grid.
- In the Proportional Grid section of the Preferences dialog box, enter values to set the horizontal and vertical size of the proportional grid.
- Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
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